Police in Mangochi are hunting for two temporary employees of the Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) at the Lungwena Satellite Depot, who are accused of stealing bags of fertilizer and two company cellphones used for beneficiary registration under the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP).
The suspects, identified as Frank Mbemba and Ernest Julio Chikaoneka, are currently at large, their full particulars are not known.
According to Chioniso Moyo, 38, an Assistant Temporary Compliance Officer, the two suspects were employed to manage the Lungwena Satellite Depot and oversee the sale of subsidized fertilizer to farmers under the AIP.
On January 16, 2025, a security guard stationed at the depot noticed a truck being loaded with fertilizer. When questioned, the suspects claimed they had been instructed to transfer the stock to another depot in Balaka. Once the truck was loaded, they locked the depot and departed.
Suspicion arose after the suspects failed to return, prompting the security guard to report the incident to the parent depot in Blantyre.
On January 26, 2025, senior SFFRFM officials, accompanied by officers from the Lungwena Police Unit, inspected the depot. They discovered cash amounting to K3,730,000 securely locked in a cash chest. However, fertilizer valued at K950,000 and two Samsung cellphones worth K1,000,000 were missing.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, who will face charges of theft by servant once apprehended.
The police are also appealing to members of the public for any information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects.
lnspector Amina Tepani Daudi
Public Relations Officer
Mangochi Police Station
Phone: 0999-706-525
Email: amina.tepani@police.gov.mw
Website: www.police.gov.mw